Recibir

“ ‘Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me’ ” (Mark 9:37).

I can only describe today as a regular day. It felt normal to be where I am and doing what I am doing. It is as I hoped it would be, nearly two weeks into life in Bolivia.

Now that I am settled in, I hope to begin noticing more things, receiving more signals, appreciating more of the life here in its fine-grain detail. For instance, I begin to notice the way the indigenous women braid their hair, I notice the hats and skirts they wear, and I notice how they nurse and tote their children. Faces that once looked all alike begin to show forth their differences. So do the voices. I can close my eyes at the dinner table and make out Fray Bladimir’s laugh, Fray Gabriel’s deep bass, and Padre Kasper’s Polish accent. I can close my eyes at church and hear Fray Freddie read the intercessory prayers or Fray Jorge lead the congregation in song. And theirs are not the only voices unique to my ears. The parishioners at Templo San Francisco, thee vendors at La Cancha, the beggars on the street—they add their harmonies to the joyful, sorrowful, glorious song of life.

I am finding a sense of direction. I can now distinguish the buses from the trufi-taxis, and I can tell which buses get me where I want to be and which don’t. I know to stand from the south balcony of the convent cloister to sneak a peek at the mountains. I know which ways to crane my neck when I am walking to keep the mountains always before me. And though I know I will get lose again and again and need to ask for help to find my way, a mental map is forming. There is more orientation than disorientation.

Being saturated in a different environment, I am more aware of when I am paying attention and when I am not. For example, I notice that when Padre Kasper is preaching the homily at Mass, if I start thinking about anything else except the words proceeding from his mouth, I get nothing, I fall off the horse, and the horse runs away. If I put out all other thoughts and concentrate on his speech, then I can make out some of it. I can get away with not paying full attention to Padre Juan Carlos, because his rhetorical style is very clear, commanding, and easy to follow. But I do even better with comprehension when I stop thinking and listen only to him. You can’t sail two streams at the same time. I can think of other examples where I comprehend my surroundings better when I am fully focused—say, while dodging Cochabamba traffic! All this is to say that I am observing how observant I am, and I hope that being in Bolivia improves my attention so that it is commensurate with my intention, which is to receive Christ in the people, places, and things that are now his ambassadors.